Three years ago, Oglethorpe County High School had two girls wrestlers. Last year, there were four, but three were seniors. However, only a year later, head coach Josh Austin now leads a group of nine wrestlers and the program is quickly ascending.
Not only does the program now have more wrestlers, but it’s seeing early success.
"These girls have gone to tournaments, and all of them have gotten wins,” Austin said. “A lot of these first-year girls have two medals from the two tournaments we’ve been to."
However, this season, the Patriots are one of the smaller girls wrestling programs in the region, Austin said.
As it continues to grow, resources will increase and the Patriots will soon be able to match others in size.
“We’re hoping that with the success these girls are getting and the exposure that’s going to bring, we can get some real buy-in from the county,” Austin said.
Victoria Miller, a sophomore, is the only returning Patriot this season after joining the team her freshman year.
“It’s amazing to see how many girls are getting into it,” she said.
However, Austin said there have been challenges that he hopes can be solved with growth.
“We’re wrestling in a classroom right now, where most schools have gyms or dedicated wrestling rooms," Austin said.
With the growth of the girls team, there isn’t room in the wrestling building for both programs. So this season, the girls are practicing in a classroom in the gym.
Despite the newcomers, the team has fully bought in and they’ve become family, Austin said. He hopes this momentum will continue to snowball as recognition grows for the girls on the team.
Emily Gregory, a sophomore first-year wrestler, said she hopes other girls will take notice by hearing their classmates recognized at school over the intercom for their victories on the mat.
Girls wrestling has grown throughout the state in recent years, as girls now have other girls to wrestle on the mats as opposed to previously having to wrestle boys due to a lack of participants. Participation increased 200% from 2018-22, according to a 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution article.
“It feels like we're proving something, that girls can also go out there and do stuff — it’s not just a boy sport,” Gregory said.
For next year, Austin hopes the team can increase to 18-20 girls. Most important, however, is fostering a love for the sport from girls on the team.
"My main goal this season is to make sure all of these girls finish the year saying, ‘I can’t wait to come back to wrestling next season,’ " Austin said.